Personnel lifts, sometimes called “cherry pickers,” are useful for raising a worker for painting, building repair, tree-trimming, or other tasks that are typically out of reach. A typical personnel lift includes a work platform upon which one or more workers stand, and a boom for raising the work platform.
Although many construction companies own personnel lifts, a large segment of the market is in rental for personal or business use. A popular rental is for painting of a house, although a personnel lift may be rented for a number of different jobs.
A popular type of personnel lift, especially in rental markets, is a trailer personnel lift. A trailer personnel lift is a personnel lift that is mounted on a trailer and that can be towed behind a vehicle, for example with a conventional trailer hitch ball. By mounting the personnel lift on a trailer, the personnel lift does not have to be loaded onto a truck or transport trailer, saving time and cost. Once the trailer personnel lift is towed to a worksite, the personnel lift is ready for stabilization, leveling, and use.
Although conventional trailer personnel lifts work well for their intended purpose, the lifts are often too wide to fit through a narrow opening, such as a gate. This can be an inconvenience, particularly in large urban markets where lots are small, and privacy fences surround the yards. Often, the only access into a back yard is through a narrow opening, such as a gate or a typical 36-inch wide doorway through a garage. If a user is unable to get a trailer personnel lift into a fenced yard, the user may opt not to rent the personnel lift for a task such as painting of a house, because the personnel lift cannot be positioned to access the entire perimeter of the house.